Month: May 2016

This week the final episode of the final season, the seventh, aired. In my estimation, this may be the best network series since The West Wing, maybe better. Hopefully, somebody like Netflix will pick it up, but bingeing way over 100 episodes in one go won’t be easy. I especially appreciated how timely and topical the series was, addressing just about everything from Bitcoin to gay marriage to search engines. But it took me a while to “get” Julianna Margulies.

As a pre-emptive measure, as people seem to be often asking me for recommends, here are just a few of my favorites, off the top of my head, so the list — limited to TV series — will be incomplete (and in no particular order):

Spiral (French)
The Bridge (Swedish/Danish; avoid the American adaptation)
Last Tango in Halifax
Homeland
Wallander (the Swedish original; but the anst-ridden version with Kenneth Branagh is probably watchable, too)
Borgen (Danish)
Transparent (season one)
Newsroom (maybe …)

Notice that our tastes seem to be weighted toward crime drama, for crying out loud. That means you should watch Inspector Morse, then Inspector Lewis, for some classic BBC fare in that genre.

Spy stuff can be okay, too. Like BBC’s recent London Spy and AMC’s Le Carre-based The Night Manager. And did I mention Homeland?

Nik and I watch Game of Thrones, but I tire a bit of its Star Wars-ishness. And we like Halt and Catch Fire (but it is nuanced in favor of people who have a history in the early development of the computer industry).

Speaking of fantasy and sci-fi, you can’t do better than Battleship Galactica (but avoid its 70s progenitor).

I liked the Black Mirror mini-series, too. Kinda like a modern Twilight Zone.

Lost? I thought the first two seasons were okay, but it … lost its way after that, imho.

If you like food (?), we liked Chef’s Table and I’ll Have What Phil’s Having.

Special mention is warranted for Orphan Black. Whether you buy into its sci-fi thing or not, you must see this for a look at at who must be the most underrated actor ever, Tatiana Maslany. She amazes and amazes, every episode.

But right now, if I had to cast a vote for the best, or my very favorite, it would be: Rectify. Waiting for the next season.

But right now, I am searching for something. I tried, for example, American Odyssey the other night. In the hands of Claire Danes and whoever is behind Homeland, this might be something, but it falls pretty flat with its tepid writing. So let me know what you are watching and what you consider to be exceptional and why.

Brother Dennis tells me that this, one of his favorite New York Times features, is apparently defunct with this as its last post.

Today we visit a local health food store where Kim wins a bag of goodies in a drawing and I discover that horny goat weed is apparently a key ingredient in the recipe for the Maximum Male; Shade-Dog reveals his true nature as the thermometer hits eighty degrees; EOU athletes practice; we wait for the Hype train at the crossing; and more of the usual sightings are registered.

Procrastination — a good thing?  Read about some new research here.